Gerbera plant named ‘Fleurie’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Fleurie’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely flowering habit; dark red-colored ray florets; upright and strong scapes; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Gerbera hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘FLEURIE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Fleurie’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera plants with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance, frost tolerance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination in March, 2006 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Gerbera hybrida identified as code number B 81, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Gerbera hybrida identified as code number B 42, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the spring of 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the spring of 2007 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in cultural practices and environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Fleurie’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Fleurie’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely flowering habit.     -   3. Dark red-colored ray florets.     -   4. Upright and strong scapes.     -   5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more compact than plants of the         female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have smaller leaves than plants of         the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera are more freely flowering than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera have lighter red-colored ray         florets than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have smaller leaves than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have smaller inflorescences than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera are more freely flowering than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera and the male parent selection         differ in ray floret color as plants of the male parent         selection have orange-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera hybrida ‘Lisa’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/802,583. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Lisa’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have slightly smaller         inflorescences than plants of ‘Lisa’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Lisa’ differ in ray and disc         floret color as plants of ‘Lisa’ have red purple-colored ray         florets and light red and light orange-colored disc florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Fleurie’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the winter in 19-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under cultural practices and environmental conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 24° C. and night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 20° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were four months old when the photograph was taken and eight months old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera hybrida ‘Fleurie’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gerbera             hybrida identified as code number B 81, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gerbera             hybrida identified as code number B 42, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 2.5 to three weeks at             temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About five to six             weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennial that are typically grown as             container or garden plants; compact, upright and uniformly             mounding plant habit, roughly globular in shape; leaves             arranged in basal rosettes and outwardly arching; dense and             bushy habit; inflorescences held above the foliar plane on             erect and strong basal scapes; moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 20.1             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About 39             cm.         -   Plant width.—About 44.6 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 15.5 cm.         -   Width.—About 8.1 cm.         -   Shape.—Runcinate; narrowly obovate in outline.         -   Apex.—Obtuse.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Coarsely and irregular angulate; sinuses divergent;             undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent; slightly             bullate.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Moderately pubescent.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Between N137B and             141A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 138C. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A; venation,             close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 138B; venation, close to 144B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 7.7 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Moderately pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 176B; distally, close to 144A             to 144B. Color, lower surface: Close to 181B to 181C;             distally, close to 144B to 144C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double type inflorescence form with             narrowly oblanceolate-shaped ray florets; solitary             inflorescences borne on upright and strong scapes above the             foliar plane; ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on a             capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about three months             after planting and flower from April to November in outdoor             gardens in The Netherlands; plants flower year-round under             greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two to             four weeks on the plant; inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about 18 open and developing inflorescences per plant at one             time.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 2 cm. Diameter: About             2.6 cm. Shape: Broadly ovate. Color: Close to 138B and 144B;             towards the apex, close to 185A to 185B.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 6 cm. Depth (height):             About 3.1 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.5 cm. Receptacle             height: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 9 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 144C.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: About 60° from vertical. Length:             About 3.1 cm. Width: About 7 mm. Shape: Narrowly             oblanceolate. Apex: Emarginate to obtuse. Base: Cuneate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous; velvety; longitudinally ridged. Number of ray             florets per inflorescence: About 50 arranged in about two             whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Between 45A and             46A. When opening, lower surface: Close to 46A. Fully             opened, upper surface: Close to 45A; color does not fade             with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Between 53D             and 54A; color does not fade with development.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, fused. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1.1 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 150. Color, prior to             opening: Apex: Close to 184B; at the apex, close to 180C to             180D. Mid-section: Close to 158C to 158D. Base: Close to             157D. Color, when opening: Apex: Close to 52A and 53C.             Mid-section: Close to 11D. Base: Close to 155A and 157D.             Color, fully opened: Apex: Close to 52A. Mid-section: Close             to 155A and 158D. Base: Close to 155A.         -   Pappus.—Number of hairs per floret: About 50. Length: About             7 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color: Close             to 157D.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 70             arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 1.2 cm. Width:             About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Narrowly acute. Base:             Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Densely tomentose. Color,             upper surface: Close to 143C. Color, lower surface: Close to             143B; towards the base, close to 137A.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 35.9 cm. Diameter: Distally, about 3.5             mm; proximally, about 5 mm. Angle: About 15° from vertical.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color: Close             to 144C; distally, close to 143C; proximally, close to 177A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (disc florets only):             Quantity per floret: Two. Filament length: About 7 mm.             Filament color: Close to 155A. Anther shape: Lanceolate.             Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close to 13C.             Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 12A.             Gynoecium (ray and disc florets): Quantity per floret: One.             Pistil length: About 1 cm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma             color: Close to 197A. Style length: About 9 mm. Style color:             Close to NN155D; distally, tinged with close to 185D. Ovary             color: Close to 157D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Gerberas has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera grown     under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to     have good garden performance and to tolerate wind, rain and     temperatures from about −5° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Fleurie’ as illustrated and described. 